MyReporter - A ship a day passes through Wilmington port

Monday

Jan 11, 2010 at 11:18 AM

The State Port in Wilmington sees an average of almost one ship for each day of the year.

How many ships pass through the State Port in a year?During 2009, the N.C. Ports Authority handled 362 ships at the State Port in Wilmington, which is about the average number for the past 10 years.In 2006, 429 ships visited the port, the busiest single year in a decade.

– Merton Vance

The I-40 sign at Exit 420 doesn’t include the name of Gordon Road. Why not?Those signs along I-40 “are being reviewed for additional upgrades adding road names along the corridor,” says Joseph Chance, N.C. Department of Transportation deputy division traffic engineer.“This request came through about two months ago and I am working with the Raleigh staff on the review,” Chance says.Generally speaking, names of towns and roads are only placed on Interstate signs if they meet certain criteria laid out in the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices published by the Federal Highway Administration.Examples of applicable criteria include the presence nearby of a post office, or the road crossing a major interchange or interstate route, such as I-95 at the Benson I-40 interchange, Chance says.

– Ken Little

What’s the status of the planned coastal events center in Brunswick County?An approximately $50 million coastal events center planned for more than 830 acres on N.C. 211 in Brunswick County has been put on hold because of the slumping economy.“That project is delayed indefinitely,” Assistant County Manager Steve Stone said.The overall plans for the coastal events center included horse trails, a public farmers’ market, a children’s discovery village, a multipurpose community hall, festival grounds, an events arena and a cultural arts centerThough the project has been put on hold, the horse trails still might have a chance, Stone said.The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is redoing a study of the wetlands in the area because the original determination was done during a drought. Once that is completed, possibly in a the next few months, the county can likely go forward with the trails, Stone said.The county received a $75,000 grant from the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources in 2008 to renovate 5.6 miles of existing trails, construct a new one-mile trail and build trail signs at the site. Stone said the county still has that grant until September. He also said the county might be able to apply for an extension.An events center steering committee has stopped meeting about the project but has not disbanded, Stone said.County Manager Marty Lawing said the site could also someday be home to a new high school and a light industrial park. The county still has $170,000 in its budget to conduct a master plan for the area.